Colmcille Climbers

A recipe for internal happiness?

Ingredients

Donegal's freeboard (idealy whilst Neptune is giving it a good kicking)

14 days

a length of rope

a couple of slings

a legion of truly monster white horses

A collection of crazy fools

Add the odd mountain to taste

 Take 14 days and gently coax the unwary to go where they never thought possible. Several days spent at Cruit plugging an unclimbed gap or 10 at the various cliffs, whilst avoiding the impending monsoons and the high tide violence of Neptunes wrath.

 For extra flavour, visit Augnish Point on a day of 50ft South Westerly swell (the sea was crashing green onto the cliff tops of Traderg Face) Find a suitable roof and overhanging wall, rig a stacked abb and abseil over the edge into thin air above a raging maelstorm. The violence of which was causing pulses of sonic energy to reverbarate through your soul and bounce off the roofs above you. It was at the this juncture that my cohort, the soon to be enlightened Miss Gleeson, entered the Realm of the Senses, whilst surfing the void. The primal response to a perceived danger is that of a preprogramed nature, a deprograming of this response allows moments of lucid clarity whilst truly "in the moment."

 Anyways, a swift ascent back to the summit produced "Steep and Undignified" an excellent wee route of HVS jug hauling steepness. HURRA!

 And thus we abbed again above the maelstorm to the ledge on "Thrutch." I led the overhanging offwidth back to the summit. Sister Gleeson began to ascend as Neptune sprayed the ledge with foam.

"RIGHT, THAT'S FUCKING IT!" came a shout from the rope below as the crux was struggled into.

"That's fucking what?" I enquired tentatively.

"I'm never climbing with you again!" came the reply.

The moral of the tale, if something is said to be "SHPICY" and "V.DIFF," then it will indeed be SHPICY but is highly unlikely to be V.DIFF. :-)  

 A couple of days in the Derryveagh mountains was added to the mix at this juncture, with Adrian Hendroff completing his last 600+metre Irish peak alas in the pouring rain. The highlight of this day was the "in pants" linked arm textbook river crossing, Oh, how the sheep laughed as they swam past. Nice One Adrian on your completion!

 The following day Five went wild on the North face of Slieve Snaght, (Noble Brothers and Sisters, Des Oconnor, Joan Mullen, Shane Taggart, Miss Gleeson in attendance Y'ALL) a 5 pitch, 100 metre route of rocky excellence was the road to success and the summit of Slieve Snaght. Five adults walking and climbing through the pouring rain and howling winds in a 7 hour smile-athon! :-) HURRA!

 On a day of howling fury at sea level a romp up to Rocky Gap Crag from the Dunlewy side, just to see if it was indeed blowing a gale at 590m altitude too? It was indeed blowing a screamer thus a swift descent and a wee trip to Cruit to visit the Gola denied troops was called, Alas no adults to be found, only a Mankini on a washing line, thus we beat a hasty retreat.

 To finish the mix, add a day at An Port, idealy whilst Neptune is in the Building, descend "Gully of the Gods" to a boulder beach under siege with 5 metre galloping white horses racing by, bright blue skies and a sense of "this is truly Awesome!"

 Serves 6 but with the addition of a tropical monsoon or 3, the quest for the internal smile can be tailored to fit any. :-)

 You know it makes sense.